


Costume Conundrum

by Priteegrl



Series: Little Moments [2]
Category: Lore Olympus (Webcomic)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-05
Updated: 2019-11-05
Packaged: 2021-01-23 15:11:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,961
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21322225
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Priteegrl/pseuds/Priteegrl
Summary: Persephone chose the couples costume this year and someone isn't thrilled.
Relationships: Hades/Persephone (Lore Olympus)
Series: Little Moments [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1537180
Comments: 16
Kudos: 123





	Costume Conundrum

“I’m not going.” 

Persephone was leaned against the back of the black leather sectional in the living room of the home she shared with Hades. Standing there in full costume, she was waiting for him to join her so they could head to the Halloween party being thrown by her old roommate. She pushed herself upright when she heard the gruff voice of her partner drift down the hall. “What?! No way! You promised!” 

“You can’t expect me to go out in public like this Persephone!” Hades protested with a slight whine; his voice muffled by the closed door of their shared bedroom. 

“It's not public. It’s Artemis’ house!” She shouted back down the hall.

“Just go without me,” Hades replied. A moment later he added, “They’re you’re friends anyway,” insecurities evident in his tone.

Persephone made her way down the hall towards the bedroom and rested her forehead against the door. ”It won’t be any fun without you,” she said softly, refusing to acknowledge his assertion that they were not his friends now too. “And I bet you look adorable. Come out so I can see.” She tapped the wood gently with her knuckles. 

The door opened slightly and Hades peeked through the crack. “That’s the entire problem. I’m King of the Underworld. Grand Arbiter. God of the Dead. Adorable is not an adjective I seek to embody.” 

With that, he opened the door enough that his full frame could be seen and Persephone broke into a huge grin. “EEK! IT’S PERFECT!” She squealed, eliciting an exasperated moan and an eye roll from Hades. 

She pushed the door wider to get a better look. Hades was clad in a one piece, light brown, fuzzy onesie. The stomach was highlighted by a white circle and in the center sat a large red heart. The sweet costume was contrasted by Hades skeptical expression. His lips were set in a tight line, one eyebrow arched; —questioning just how far he was willing to go for love. 

Persephone bounced on the balls of her heels and clapped her hands. “I’m so glad it fits! You’re so tall and broad I was worried it would be too small.” 

“And what a _ tragedy _that would have been,” Hades replied sarcastically, -but his expression began to soften upon seeing her enthusiasm. 

“It would have been a tragedy! Then we wouldn’t have matched!” Persephone took a step back from the doorway and flared out her dress with her hands. 

Hades finally reigned in his embarrassment and took a look at her costume. His eyes travelled from the simple black ballet flats on her feet, up her calves clad in knee high white socks. Her dress was a pale blue_ , _ skirt covered by a sparkly tulle overlay. Puffy cap sleeves accentuated her delicate shoulders and collar bones, while the sweetheart neckline drew attention to her ample—… Hades forced himself to keep his mind out of the gutter. Her dress also sported a white circular accent on the stomach, only hers pictured a dark blue rain cloud. She had done her hair and makeup, sporting a tiny heart on the tip of her nose, the same color as her dress, and a pair of tiny rounded teddy bear ears on a headband. 

“I still don’t understand why you’re the angry one,” Hades grumbled. His anxiety decreased slightly seeing his partner looking exceedingly _ sufficient. _ He couldn’t possibly let her go alone looking like that, she’d be fighting other men off with a stick. _ Or would she? _ Hades pushed the ugly voice of insecurity back down. _ It’s been over a year. We live together. She loves me as I love her. Stop it. _

_ “ _Not angry,” she giggled, “it’s Grumpy Bear and it’s funny because of the role reversal. Everyone expects you to be the grumpy one.”

“Trust me, my love. No one is expecting any of this.” He huffed, but finally moved to leave the safe confines of the bedroom. “Fine, let’s go...—but I’m _ not _wearing the ears!” He waved around a balaclava outfitted with color-coordinating bear ears and a tiny tuft of hair on top.

The car ride to Olympus was largely uneventful. He listened to Persephone speculate over the guest list and whom may be bringing dates or coming stag. As they slowed at the border between the Underworld and Olympus, the security guard on duty raised an eyebrow at his outfit. Hades felt his cheeks flush and his anxiety began to rise anew. Just as he made the decision to turn the car around and never leave the house again, Persephone leaned across the center console into his lap to wave excitedly at the guard. She wished him a nice evening and asked him to send her regards to his wife. His judgement forgotten, the guard matched her enthusiasm, “Have a fun time at your party! You two look great.” 

Hades smiled to himself. It never ceased to amaze him how Persephone could make friends with everyone and manage to remember the details of their personal lives. _ I really should be better about these things. I’m not even sure I know his name and he’s been working the security booth for a decade at least. _Hades made a mental note to ask HR for the satyrs name on Monday. Persephone always made him want to be better; a better boss, better friend, better partner. 

They sped through Olympus; Persephone gushing over every person in costume they passed. Hades had never been one for Halloween before they began dating. It all seemed a little childish and, frankly, some of it got a bit insulting towards the Underworld and its residents. Maybe that was just Hades projecting though, as she never saw it that way. Persephone absolutely _ adored _ Halloween. 

“It’s the one night of the year you can be anything or anyone you want,” she had stated, in one of her many attempts to foster the same excitement for the holiday in Hades. He tried to reason that she was a goddess and all over exceptional person so could _ always _be whatever she wanted, but she was having none of it. He suspected it had to do with lingering insecurities about being a “dumb village girl” and he was in no position to judge baseless self doubt. 

The couple finally arrived at Artemis’ home, having to circle the block once before finding parking. Persephone bounded out of the car as soon as it stopped moving, but Hades was much slower to exit the vehicle. The sheer volume of cars gave a glimpse into just how many people would be at this party. Hades felt his palms begin to sweat and his heart rate pick up. Artemis had gotten over her bias against him, _ mostly, _ when she saw much they adored each other, and Persephone’s other friends were largely decent people, but he knew how even decent people side-eyed or talked about him when he wasn’t around. 

He had spent centuries cultivating a certain reputation to keep people at arms length. He had worked through much of that in therapy and certainly his lover helped him heal, but people’s opinions of him wouldn’t change overnight and he still noticed the hush that fell when he entered a room. 

With legs feeling like lead weights, he hauled himself out of the car and moved to catch up with Persephone, who was already halfway up the driveway. It didn’t take long, even with his reluctant steps. _ Thank Giaia for her tiny legs. I don’t think I’d manage to make it inside if she went in without me. _

Hades could hear the bass pumping from ungodly loud music as they approached the door. _ The neighbors must be loving this, _ he thought, unable to curb the thoughts of a god too old to be at this party. _ What am I doing here? I must look ridiculous. It’s bad enough I always look like—what did they call me? Persephone’s dusty ass dad? _He sighed and Persephone looked up at him with her big doe eyes, which suddenly went wide. 

“I almost forgot!” She rustled around in her small clutch handbag until she pulled her hand back triumphantly. Uncapping a tube of red lipstick, she wiped a tiny bit on her pinky finger and drew a small heart on the tip of his nose, mirroring her own. “There. Now you look perfect.” 

As if on cue, the front door opened and the blaring music spilled out into the front yard. “You made it!” Artemis exclaimed. She wore a short brown dress, white freckled makeup with her nose blackened and small ears clipped into her hair. She resembled the doe form she often took on the mortal realm. 

“Of course! We wouldn’t have missed it!” Persephone bounded inside while Hades shuffled in behind her. 

Artemis looked past Persephone to smile at Hades. “Wow, you two look AMAZING!” 

Hades had braced himself for hysterical laughter or a snide remark. He wasn’t sure how to respond to the seemingly genuine compliment.

“See?” Persephone turned to him beaming, “I told you!” 

“I—uh.. thanks, Artemis” Hades let out the breath he hadn’t realized he was holding and allowed his tensed muscles to relax slightly, but not completely._ There is still the rest of the party to greet, after all. _

Persephone took his hand as they made their way further into the home, receiving enthusiastic greetings from the rest of the attendees. Many of the costumes were lost on Hades—popular culture wasn’t exactly his forte—but, he could appreciate the effort. 

As the night wore on, and he’d helped himself to a few drinks, Hades became increasingly more relaxed. He laughed along with Persephone at Hermes, dressed in a white basketball uniform with _ Toon Squad _ emblazoned across the front (a reference which even his love chastised him for not knowing), sharing stories of outlandish messages he’s been tasked with delivering. He finally agreed to a double date with Eros and Psyche, which he would certainly regret in the morning. Hades even put on his costume’s headpiece for a picture and enjoyed the feeling of people laughing with him and not at him. 

As the night wore on and the party began to wind down, Persephone caught Artemis alone in the kitchen. “This was a great time, thank you so much … for everything” 

Artemis grinned and gave a conspiratorial wink. “I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about, but I’m so glad you guys came.” 

Persephone watched as Hades began to bid farewell to the other party goers, shaking hands and making promises to “do this again soon”. She slipped her phone out of her clutch and opened the texting app. Opening the first thread at the top of the page she glanced over the last texts sent. 

> Hey! We’re on our way :) 
> 
> **Artemis**
> 
> Woo! Can’t wait to see your costumes!
> 
> About that .. Hades is feeling a bit self-conscious about his costume would you mind asking everyone to be nice about it?
> 
> **Artemis**
> 
> Of course!
> 
> You're the best!
> 
> **Artemis**
> 
> Ok. I told everyone if they so much as snicker, I’m hacking into their Fatesbook and posting weird porn links.
> 
> That wasn’t exactly what I had in mind … but thanks?

Persephone tucked her phone back into her bag and linked arms with Hades as he approached her. They slipped out the front door into the cool evening air and made their way back to the car. She did feel a bit guilty about asking Artemis to be extra nice, but seeing Hades let loose and get out of his own head for a night was worth it. 

“So?” Hades asked as he opened the car door for Persephone, grin forming on his face “What are we going to be next year?” 


End file.
